Leaving behind...

Saying SAYONARA to Japan, feeling as if I'd left my whole heart behind...
I finally got what I needed to leave for Iran, and in the evening I took off from Haneda and headed to Kansai International to catch a flight to Dubai.

I met people I love dearly and most treasure at the airports. It's time to say good-bye...
I didn't cry as I know that I will meet them many more times in the future, but even a temporary parting is really painful...

I was still working on our documentary about India even just hours away from my departure, but after I took off, it was now in the past. I have to tackle my new issues in which I will be engaged in for at least three years. It just the first step towards my new life and I hope it doesn't start badly!


I stayed in a hotel near the Tokyo Tower... saying farewell...

and to the consular section of the Islamic Republic...
my visa was finally granted!


my last meal in Tokyo with my elder colleague...

And my last meal with my parents!

my favorite meal: udon!

and a souvenir from my mom... I don't need this mom...

PS
Just around midnight, we felt a slow but long tremble in the 7th floor of our headquarters. It was a large but deep earthquake that hit the northeastern part of Japan.
I went right away to my former workplace to see whether things were okay. I witnessed the dynamic flow of reporters rushing into work and I found out that I had no place in my old office.
There was no tsunami as the quake did not hit the ocean area and the epicenter was deeper than 100km. I think and dearly hope that not so many people have lost their lives with this one.

it was a hard hit quake in the north...
this country is really active!

Overtime!?

The real deadline was today, but I didn't get what I need to for me to get out of this country and enter the Persian state. There was news that I might get it tomorrow, and if I do, I'm only 24 hours late and that's not that critical. Let's see if I'll get the thing I need smoothly tomorrow!

After driking till nearly 2AM last night, I was so sleepy today. But since I couldn't leave Tokyo, I had to go back to the documentary making procedure and I devoted so many hours in to it. I went back to my neighborhood in the morning and around lunchtime, I had my haircut done. It would be very hard to get some satisfying haircuts for a while, so I just had to enjoy this haircut conversing with the barber I've been having my hair cut for 8 years. It's really sad that I have to leave where I've enjoyed so much. But I had to say thanks and bye to these people!

saying one last good-bye to Shinjuku...

and my home town for eight years...

Getting cornered...

I'm getting cornered as the ghost eating up time is creeping up to me. Oh please don't take away my time so spookily!
Now I have no passion for money as I'm buying things without considering other options of getting cheaper prices, and I have no hesitation to take a cab to everywhere I go at my own expense.
Time is money and I'd pay to buy any bulk of time!

In the daytime before going to work, I went to the ward office to get certificates. I then rushed to a contact lens shop, but found out that I need to get a eye test which was not in service near the shop that day. Oh this is a real waste of time! I could have cleaned up my room for another two hours if I had known!

my lunch... can't forget to eat my favorite ramen!

I had to be in the shift for long hours once again in the nighttime, but after I finished, I rushed to Tsukiji to have some expensive sushi with my colleagues I worked together last year at the judicial press club.

some great sushi pieces!

PS

finished with the fattest meat of tuna, the o'toro!

PS
In the morning, I went to the ward office for the first time in years!

perhaps the first time in eight years!?

Time is so precious!

I was cleaning up my room until around 4AM in the morning!
And I haven't even finished cleaning up a third of all the books and magazines I have! Oh my...
It's now evident that I don't have enough time! Big trouble!

After cleaning up a bit more in the morning, I gave up and rushed to my office. I thought of grabbing a burger for lunch, but...

the McDonald's I have enjoyed for nearly 8 years was gone!
it was a convenient one with a drive thru and recently had become a 24 hours store, but it's completely GONE!

When I return to this city years later, I'm sure everything will look different. Oh well, that's Tokyo!

Day and night... or... night and day?

Daytime and nighttime was reversed for me as I slept all day after working over 6AM at my office.

Before going into overnight duty, I stopped by Shinjuku to eat dinner.


nice weather today as so many people were hanging around! it's the Golden Week, but I have to work!

I hope there won't be any crazy things happening overnight!

For a change... but small progress...

I was in central Tokyo today... looking for some answers about our filming in Japan... I think we can get something, but it's not a breakthrough...
Oh well, with limited time till I leave Japan, I have to go on with what I have at hand!

Hanging around

the Otemachi area

I was at least happy to see the Tigers win!

only on the web though...

Modifications...

It took about 6 hours to update my diary as I had to revise and paste the photos I carefully picked not to raise any security concerns about our crew in Baghdad.

I went to bed at around 5:30AM and slept until 11:30AM. I hurried to my workplace to eat lunch with my elder colleague temporarily returning to Japan from abroad. I quickly went back to sleep at around 3:30PM after returning home and slept till 7:30PM. That's about a net 10 hours of sleep, so I think I can make it through overnight duty!

I realized there's so many changes in the streets...

these median barriers popped up from no where!

I bet a bunch of drivers will break their headlights and have dents in their car bodies hitting these rails!

and I couldn't pass through the usual path to my office...
boo to constructions...

Keeping my promise

Yes indeed! I did take my day off! And guess where I went!?

Yes indeed!

the racecourse!

To be honest, I did not win even one race today, but I don't care... I just wanted to have a good time! And yes indeed, I did!

having beef bowls as always!

I'm gonna eat everything I want till I leave this country!
After returning to Shinjuku, I went to have my favorite dish, le sushi-go-around. Oui en effet! Tuna, salmon, yellowtail, ah you name it!

And it was a great night in Shinjuku.

and a great view!

I think this will be the last night to relax for a long time... a very long time!

Another day gathering infos...

After writing more winter greeting cards till 5AM, I slept for about 6 hours, and woke up just in time to make it to a lunchtime appointment with a scholar.

going out to the water front of Tokyo... a beautiful but very windy and cold day at the bayside!

Returning home and sleeping for less than 3 hours, I rushed to my office to participate in my last overnight shift work. It's still Chinese dumplings that were manking the news, but I must try to find some time to do my work!

See Ya!

I will be leaving Tokyo in less than 5 hours... It will be a short trip but a challenging one! I hope I'll feel happy when I'm back!

saying good-bye to Shinjuku!

Unfortunately... as usual...

I had to start from the morning, though it was an overnight duty day.

Praying that our proposal will be approved... I continued on to do what I must do...

here I am in Sasazuka... visiting an NGO!

Just with a couple of hours of sleep, I went into work. It's really getting tough physically, but I have to make it!

P.S.
BTW... today I took my first ever HIV test! I'll get the results next week... hey! I'm not startled... or am I even worried! ha ha...

Rest... only for another busy week!

In the morning...

I was at Nishi Hachioji to gather information...

I worked till 2AM last night, and it was really tough to wake up this morning...
After doing some shopping at Shinjuku I went home to take a nap!
It was a busy week and my body is filled with fatigue and stress.
Since it will be a more challenging week coming up, I decided to take a rest throughout the night.
Getting a haircut and taking a bath... and sleeping!

I surely don't want to die from overwork and I've already allocated this Sunday to finish off a pile of work!

Learning to end turmoil...

Last night I went out to eat Yakiniku with beer and shochu with my former colleagues till 3AM... It was a great thing I can still talk with them as their comrades, but still I feel I'm completely out of the team... Well, I hope one day I can collaborate with them to make a something special!

Today I had to go to a different embassy from yesterday to apply for a visa. I just hope I'm not wasting my time!

At night I went out to talk with Iraqis visiting and studying in our country. Though I hear that they are here to learn, I honestly think we have so much things we can learn from them. In a time of turmoil, they are the ones that could teach us who live in a state of "peace-loving stupor" we call "HEIWA-BOKE".
I believe that education will help to end a turmoil state. So a give and take relationship can be formed between the two countries.
And for me, the least I hope for is that I can make friends with those wanting to live in peace!

Walking home from Shinjuku, I was reflecting on the lessons we had learned after the second World War... and now... I feel so happy to live in such a peaceful country!

the lights of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office building makes me think about how lucky we are to live peacefully... but with full knowledge that there are still people suffering...

Not regretting...

I thought I was doing OK. It was a real killer that I had drinks till 1AM yesterday with my elder colleagues last night, and I had a morning appointment at Ueno...

running past the "AMEYOKO"!

I also had to attend a lecture by an Iraqi visitor to Japan, so another Friday that was originally a day off was ruined. But it's not regrettable at all as it's one of many chances I can deepen my understanding to a nation which is practically impossible to set your feet on without fully equipped security measures.

With my mission, I had to make a snap decision about my plans without any information secure enough to assure my boss, but I decided to go on and get the necessary journalist visas to make the journey. This is really a gamble for me, but I'm not regretting my decision... I must go on!

And at night, I knew it was a consequence of yesterday's crazily crammed schedule finishing off with alcohol, I had a real headache. But I had already called on my colleagues to hold a small welcome-back drinking party for a younger colleague returning back from a month-long trip. Taking pain killers in vain, I only could drink one mug of beer, and lasted only till 11PM. But I didn't regret it... Going out to give a warm welcome back to a younger one is something I would have wanted my colleagues to do for me if I were the returnee!

Fickle behavior!

While I was in the night shift, breaking news that Mr. Ozawa of DPJ decided to reverse his resignation announcement came in around 9PM. A very unmanly action by an once confident politician...
Well so long for my support to the party! Let's wait for a better leadership to appear, which of course could be in months or in years, perhaps only after the next general election.

Oh, well... back to my diary...
I woke up a little bit late this morning after I slept for hours after having drinks with an elder from Awaji Island visiting Tokyo last night.
I hurried to my office, and then to two places before going into the night shift.

attending a lecture at Tokyo Institute of Technology located at Ookayama... surprisingly the first ever encounter to this renowned institute...

Maneuvering around the city

Starting at 10AM, I had three appointments to deal with today.
Since all of the destinations were around the Central Tokyo area, the best way was to take...

the subway!

Finishing up the last one in the evening, I took the subway back home to get some sleep.
Using the subway is the best way to maneuver around this city packed with cars!

I headed to office to check in for the overnight shift after about two hours of sleep... this time using the bus!
At night, when the cars are emptying out, they're quite useful too!

I was practically dead in the morning. I shouldn't have worked so long yesterday...

While I hanged around one of the richest residential area in Tokyo full with embassies from various countries, I found this...

oh yeah! a very reasonable price! 1,800,000,000... what? just for the land!? I need to win the grand lottery 6 times to get this... uh...

And at night...
I went out a little bit to the north to hear stories about Burma.
While waiting at the north exit of Otsuka station, I found...

Cookie Monster!